Man gives up on life and travels 1,000 miles on stolen bikes, incredible journey ends with his arrest

Sometimes when life gets you down, you just want to get away. Run, bike, drive; whatever it takes to get out of the current situation and into a happier state. That’s exactly how one middle-aged man from Chiba Prefecture was feeling when he decided to leave his failing business and begin a nomadic life traveling across Japan. However, his sudden and deliberate flee spanning over an astonishing 1,600 km (nearly 1,000 miles) ended in his arrest five months after it began because of the man’s poor choice in transportation – stolen bikes.

The man, 43-year-old Takahashi Nobugiyo, left his home and failing bar in Kattori, Chiba Prefecture in July of last year after becoming “sick of [his] life.” Over a span of five months, he traveled to Nagano, Niigata, Hiroshima, Kochi, and Miyazaki Prefectures, traveling an estimated distance of at least 1,600 km (1,000 miles) by bike.

Of course, there’s no law against going rogue and deciding to live on the streets, but Mr. Nobugiyo unfortunately stole a few things during his journey. He was discovered sleeping on the streets of Minami-satsuma, Kagoshima Prefecture in December of last year and arrested for allegedly stealing three different bikes in front of pachinko parlors in Niigata, Kochi and Miyazaki. He is also accused of stealing an entire crate of beer valued at 15,000 yen (US$145).

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After his arrest, he admitted to living off of stolen food from supermarkets and only had a change of clothes, a small amount of money, and a map of Japan in his possession.

Netizens across Japan were overall supportive of Nobugiyo’s actions, with comments of support such as “With that much will-power, he should be able to do anything” and “Surely, this is a forgivable offense.” Others gave practical alternative methods of the execution of Nobugiyo’s mid-life crisis, suggesting, “He should have done all this with the help of Twitter or Facebook users. Anyone with an old bike would have given it to him or at least treated him to some beer.” Others were completely unhelpful, commenting, “He’s gotta have some muscular calves now” and “Is it okay to ride a bike after drinking beer?”

Mr. Nobugiyo’s quest to find a better life, or at least get away from his current one, was incredible in its longevity and distance. However, we wish he would have refrained from stealing anything. Who knows how long he would have made it if he weren’t thrown in jail.